A new white paper has been published which the history of modern wind-powered ferries and cargo vessels, and predicts future breakthroughs will go beyond hardware.
Ville Paakkari, Head of R&D at Norsepower, and Henrik Sjöblom, Vice President, Business Concepts, at Kongsburg Maritime, have set out a mechanical sail taxonomy for the very first time. The timeline of development spans more than 100 years, and looks to offer more clarity on a rapidly evolving area of transport and logistics.
According to these experts, the future of shipping is wind propulsion, and with the first generation of mechanical sails appearing as prototypes in the 1920s, we should not be looking at this technology as niche or experimental. Progressing from isolated solution to fully integrated ship and fleet level systems, this year will see more rollout of a third generation design which balances 50% engine with 50% wind propulsion, dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Already beginning to appear on individual vessels – including Stena Line ferries between Belfast, Ireland and Heysham, Lancashire – within the next decade we should see the focus switch to whole-fleet operations. Meanwhile, by 2050 a logistics-centric approach will become the norm, at which point passenger and freight boats could run almost entirely on wind.
‘The industry is at a transition point,’ said Paakkari. ‘As regulations tighten and digitalisation accelerates, understanding the difference between sail-centric and system-centric solutions becomes essential. This taxonomy is intended as a practical tool to support better technical, commercial and regulatory decisions.’
‘Introducing technologies from the “eureka”-moment to commercial standards, always goes through generations,’ added Sjöblom. ‘With the taxonomy we can pinpoint where we are now, how we have gotten here and give a view of our insight in where we are going next. Today we can establish that wind propulsion is a valid solution, suitable for sophisticated vessel integration. It will be interesting to see when – not if – the next generations will take traction.’
Image: Norsepower
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